Creativity in primary level dance education: moving beyond assumption

This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in Research in Dance Education © 2007 Copyright Taylor & Francis; Research in Dance Education is available online at http://www.informaworld.com.This paper represents the final layer of analysis carried out in a study investigating the conceptions of and approaches to creativity of three expert specialist dance teachers within late primary age dance education in the UK. This research journeyed through a number of phases culminating in an analysis of the pedagogical dilemmas encountered by the three teachers in their specific situations in relation to creativity in dance education in the current UK climate. This article details the dilemmas and their solutions, articulating the issues and tensions which, within the kinds of situation studied, might be endangering meaningful creative experiences for learners in dance education. Within a theoretical framework, the findings map the terrain for this particular group of teachers, and offer 'images of the possible' for other dance and education professionals. The paper culminates by offering suggestions of future directions for intertwining research and developing practice in creativity in dance and education research in this area.This research was initially supported by a Research Studentship from the LABAN Graduate School and subsequently by a Post Graduate Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council